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The weather was hot and clear as the fleet gathered at Point St Nicholas at the extreme west of Hispaniola. Some vessels sailed from Jamaica, others from the Windward Islands, North America, and Great Britain. As the fleet gathered, Captain Maxwell grew increasingly restless.
“We must be off,” he said, looking at the clear sky. “We must start to mark the channel. The longer we linger here, the more time the Spanish have to organise their defences. We’ll have to capture Havana and have the fleet safely in the harbour before the hurricane season begins.”1
MacKim had heard that the hurricanes were savage in the Caribbean, although the weather had been kind so far.
“We’re working with Captain Elphinstone in HMS Richmond,” Kennedy said. “Do you expect any opposition?”
“It’s not the Span
